Moving house is often up there with dentist visits and paying taxes – unavoidable and less than pleasant.

However, you can take the bite out of that move with a few tips from the experts over at Thrifty car hire. Even if you’ve packed a few boxes and know how to hire a moving truck yourself, these 10 tips can come in handy for anyone preparing to move house.

Declutter ahead of time

Take the months leading up to your move as a chance to declutter your life and finally deal with the pile of stuff in your garage.

Donate or sell any clothes you don’t wear, household appliances you don’t use, and kids’ toys that haven’t seen the light of day in a decade. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get rid of, and it will make moving on the day that much easier.

Rent your own moving truck

Instead of hiring a company, rent your own moving truck and twist the collective arms of friends and family to help you load and unload it. This can save quite a lot of money off the cost of the move, even when you factor in the stack of pizzas you’ll need to feed your moving troops as thanks!

Take photos

Your smartphone can be a big help in ensuring everything gets put back together at point B the same way it was set up in point A. This is mostly useful for electronic setups such as the back of your desktop computer or sound system, but you can also use it for how cabinets are displayed.

Make a box labelling system

Whether it’s colour codes, numbers, or basic labels, be sure to come up with a system that works for you and stick to it for every box you pack. Also consider adding an ‘H’ for heavy (or some other symbol) so that your helpers know which boxes might require extra brawn to move.

Unpack each box into the right room

When you arrive in your new home, it may be tempting to simply move all the boxes off the truck and throw them in the house to sort later. Instead, take the extra minute for each box to put it in the room where it is to be unpacked. This will save you a few headaches when you get around to opening everything up.

Collect everything you need to move in advance

Some moving supplies, such as packing tape rollers, boxes and bubble wrap, are pretty specific, which means most people don’t usually have a pile of them just lying around. Make a list of what you’ll need and pick it all up well before moving day so you can start packing early and be ready for last-minute jobs on the day itself.

Make a game plan

No one is going to deny that moving an entire house is a big job, but you can break it down into smaller (AKA manageable) tasks. Start by making a plan for packing up your items, starting with the items you are least likely to need in the coming weeks or days. It’s likely you’ll be able to start with spare rooms and garages, then pack the things you use the most often last. Don’t forget to use sheets and bedding to protect the breakable stuff, wrap your clothes in garbage bags (instead of taking them off their hangers), and always put the heaviest items in the bottom of the box.

Start early

Get the coffee ready and prepare a quick and easy breakfast so you can jump out of bed early in the day and hit the road as soon as possible. Ideally, you won’t have much left to pack and clean by the time the day arrives, so you can spend most of your time unpacking in your new place rather than tidying up at your old one. Keep traffic in mind and plan to drive when you won’t get stuck in a jam on the way to your new home.

Create a checklist

When the day arrives, it will likely be all kinds of hectic – to the point where things can easily be forgotten. Write a detailed list of what should happen when, including pick up and drop off times for your truck and for any deliveries or technician visits.

Organise another kind of delivery

The first day in your new home will no doubt be pretty tiring, and you’ll be doing well to have your kitchen boxes unpacked – let alone actually cook something. Instead, plan to order your favourite food delivery so you don’t have to deal with meal preparation and dishes when you’ve still got 30 boxes to unpack.

Thrifty

Thrifty’s vision is to be the best car rental company in Australia, offering our customers the ‘best’ service, the ‘best’ rates and the ‘best’ experience. 100% owned by the NRMA, Thrifty customers can take comfort in knowing they are dealing with one of Australia’s most trusted and reliable brands.

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